Ancient Scholars
by Hammershlag
Summary: Five hundred years before Eliwood's tale, Athos, a hero of the Scouring, and Nergal, a wandering scholar, met while wandering the Nabata. Follow the two friends on their quest for knowledge – a quest that would ultimately result in tragedy.
1. Fast Friendship

**This is an update of the first chapter. The original was 971 words long and had many flaws. I have made it longer and (hopefully) fixed said flaws.  
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**Please note that the reviews made before April 2015 pertain to the old version.**

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**Chapter 1: Fast Friendship**

Athos sighed in dismay as, for the fiftieth time this week, he had to fell a horde of bandits. He had long, white hair that extended just past his shoulder blades and a beard that went half way down his torso. He was wearing blue robes under a thick, old-fashioned blue cloak. The millennium-old Archsage was searching the Nabata desert for long-forgotten secrets, which he had been doing since the Scouring ended.

The Nabata had not always been a wasteland. Once, in the ancient past, it was a great realm with a thriving culture. According to several texts, the desert had once housed some of the greatest sages and scholars ever to walk the Earth. The reason for its desolation was still in debate; the latest theory was that a group of dragons, jealous of the humans' abilities, laid it to waste, but Athos strongly believed that was a product of the Scouring and the emotions it brought upon humanity, not rational thought or research. The Archsage's personal belief was that the ancient sages became too powerful and the sheer amount of magic that was made manifest in the region caused the air and the land to destabilize. Some of his peers from before the Scouring, humans and dragons like, believed that it may have been more of a natural disaster – perhaps a large meteor or other astronomical body crashed onto the land, causing a cataclysmic explosion that rendered the land barren. Evidence was provided in the form of a giant crater located near the center of the desert. Athos once investigated the crater and used it as evidence for his own theory – there was a greater concentration of magical artifacts in that area, so it was possible that it had once been an experimentation zone and therefore was the source of the destabilization. As far as the Archsage knew, the true reason had never been found out, but he had been wandering alone for five hundred years and it was possible that someone, somewhere had discovered something. He doubted it, though, as he sensed humans still bore age-old prejudices and modern-day scholars virtually unanimously agreed that it was the cause of jealous dragons.

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One day, Athos finally found something of substance… an ancient guide on how to make elder tomes! Only, it wasn't so ancient. In fact, it seemed as if it were written recently, yet it was in a language the Archsage thought to be all but extinct.

"Sir? Sorry to bother you, but I believe I dropped one of my belongings around here. It was a book written in an obscure language… have you seen it?" a green-haired man appeared. He wore a grey doublet and trousers under a black cape. The patterns, while simple, were elegant and the cloth was fine.

"Is this it?" Athos handed him the text.

"Ah, yes, thank you," the man bowed his head in respect.

"I must say, I found this text quite fascinating, as I didn't believe anyone alive other than myself knew this language. I've made tomes before, but the methods here are completely different than the ones I have developed. Did you write it?" the Archsage scratched his beard.

"As a matter of fact, I did. My name is Nergal; I'm a scholar of ancient magic and culture," the shaman said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Nergal. I am Athos; my occupation mirrors your own."

"That's a fine name! Well met, Athos. I don't mean to pry, but what are you doing in a wasteland such as this?"

"I heard a rumor that this land was once home to a great civilization. I figured there may be some artifacts of value under these sands," Athos said. The Archsage knew that there was once a civilization there, as he was born in it (but hadn't visited since long before it was destroyed), and in truth was hoping to find some piece of his old home, but this Nergal fellow needn't know about it.

"I've heard the same rumor! It seems our purposes, not solely our occupations, are similar!" Nergal replied excitedly.

"Indeed they are. Shall we travel together then?"

"I'd like that. Any thoughts on what direction we should go?"

"Well, recently I began to sense a strong cluster of life energy northwest of here. I was heading there when I was accosted by a group of bandits."

"I know the location of which you speak; I already tried going there. The problem was, there seems to be a heavy enchantment around the area."

"Oh?"

"There was a sandstorm – too strong to be a work of nature – surrounding the area. I tried lifting, or at least weakening the spell that created it, but I wasn't strong enough to do anything significant."

"Well, perhaps together we can figure out a way to break through."

"Perhaps, but that was some pretty strong magic; I dare say it may have been draconic in origin."

"If that is the case, I have a solution," Athos' lips curled upward slightly as he pulled out his legendary tome, Forblaze. It might have lost much of its power during the Ending Winter, but the Archsage could still feel an immense amount of energy radiating from it. He handed the book to Nergal so he could inspect it; naturally, the scholar was awestruck by its might.

"This is some tome… but… it's fire-based! I don't see how it could affect the sands," Nergal frowned.

"The weapon was designed to slay dragons," Athos took the tome back and returned it to his cloak, "if the enchantment surrounding the area is truly draconic in origin, one shot from the tome should be able to weaken, if not altogether break the enchantment. Besides, sand-filled or not, storms are still wind-based magic, so I'll have an advantage. The only remaining obstacle after that would be a simple, natural sandstorm which I have no doubt we can clear."

"Hmm, it's worth a shot. I'd be willing to try it. Are you capable of using warp magic?"

"Yes, but if it is all the same to you, I would prefer to walk. It's only a league or so away, and I'm sure we could find a great many artifacts en route."

"Indeed we would. Well, I'm in no rush, so why not?" the druid smiled and the two began their journey toward the hidden civilization.

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**I hope you guys enjoyed the update.**

**Author's Notes are on my blog, the link for which is on my profile page.  
**


	2. Lost Civilization

**Well, I finally decided to resume Ancient Scholars. It only took a year and a half…**

**NOTICE:**** If you want me to write you a one-shot from any FE game, let me know. I need some ideas to fill up my queue.**

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**Chapter 2: Lost Civilization**

After a few hours of walking and digging through the sands, Athos and Nergal finally reached their destination.

"You were right, Nergal, this storm was definitely created by dragons," Athos sighed as he stared at the rapidly shifting clouds of sand, "I know because I was alive before the war. My question is, how did _you_ know?"

"I am… older than I appear; my magic preserves my body."

"Are you saying you too were alive when dragons walked this earth?"

"Yes, I was. I even remember a time when humans and dragons shared the land amicably… a time before hate and jealousy."

"…Tell me, have you heard of the one they call Archsage? He was a warrior who led humanity to many victories during the Scouring."

"I'm afraid not; I did not participate in the war. Someone… close to me… was taken in its early days and I spent many years searching for her. When the Great Shift occurred, I found myself trapped in this desert."

"Great Shift?"

"The time when all the magic in the air seemed to fade away and the land reshaped itself."

"Ah, I know that as the Ending Winter," Athos nodded in understanding, "did you ever find who you were looking for?"

"I'd… rather not discuss it," Nergal lowered his head.

"I understand. The pain of loss is eternal; one can never truly move beyond it." The two remained silent for a moment, but soon regained focus on the sandstorm in front of them.

"You have the stronger tome, so why don't you start?" Nergal suggested. Athos nodded, pulled Forblaze out from the folds of his cloak and muttered a series of incantations. His voice began to echo after the first verse, and a ray of light shone out from the tome. Finally, a raging inferno appeared around the sandstorm and merged with it, weakening the draconic magic that sustained it. Athos ceased his chanting and Nergal began muttering a different series of incantations; these caused shadows to rise from under a portion of the now subsiding storm and forced open a hole for the two scholars to walk through.

"There's our opening. I wonder what we will encounter on the other side," the druid smiled and rushed in. The Archsage, more cautious than his companion, tried to restrain him, but he himself could not resist the temptation for long and ran into the storm as well.

When the two passed through the storm, they came across a small village atop what appeared to be a caldera. A limestone castle and clay homes large enough for dragons surrounded a small hot spring; various forms of cacti grew in patches near palm trees all around the area. What surprised the scholars most of all was who were living there: a large group of dragons, mostly from the Divine Tribe, and a host of humans. They all stared in absolute shock at the intruders, who likewise froze in awe.

"Outsiders! How did you get in here?!" one of the humans shouted in exasperation. He, two other humans and a Fire Dragon approached the scholars, seemingly prepared to kill them.

"Peace! We have no quarrel with you! We are simple scholars traversing the desert to discover lost secrets!" Nergal threw his hands up, "when we sensed how much magic was coming from this area, we could not resist the temptation to search it!"

"**But how did you get through the barrier?**" the massive dragon barked, his voice echoing across the dunes.

"We know rare forms of magic that can counter draconic enchantments," Athos responded.

"**Is that so?**" the Fire Dragon hesitated, then took Manakete form, "let me see your tomes." Nergal, not wanting to start an argument with a full-grown dragon, did as he was told, but Athos was more hesitant.

"Well?"

"…I do not want you to judge me by what I have collected over the years," the Archsage said stiffly.

"Show me the tome you used. _Now_." Athos was certainly capable of holding his own, but did not want to endanger Nergal, so he acquiesced.

"This is Forblaze! Where did you get such an accursed weapon?!"

"Athos, what is he talking about?" Nergal frowned.

"You are _Athos_?" the Manakete reassumed Dragon form, "**YOU WILL SUFFER FOR YOUR SINS AGAINST MY PEOPLE!**" The dragon flashed white a few times, then released an unending stream of flames from his maw. The blast was so strong it took all of the Archsage's energy to block it. Fortunately for him, he did not have to hold out for too long, as Nergal released a barrage of Luna orbs at his opponent, greatly damaging him.

"You will _not_ hurt my friend!" the druid shouted firmly, ignoring the insinuations the dragon made against Athos.

"Please, Lord Dragon, we mean you no harm… I never did! I did not want the war, but it came and I had to make a choice: fight against dragonkind or watch my people burn! Would you not have done the same in my position?"

"No! That is why we came here!" one of the humans said, "we established this oasis because we did not want to fight. This was the one place we could go without being dragged into the conflict."

"I… I did not know such a place could exist…" Athos responded, sorrow latent in his voice.

The Fire Dragon then reverted to Manakete form once more, "I sense your honesty, but that does not excuse you from the damage you have done. Though it _is_ enough for me to spare your life."

"Is this community truly home to both humans and dragons, or are my eyes deceiving me? That sounds like a dream!" Nergal asked, full of awe.

"Your eyes show only truth. Come, let me show you."

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"Welcome to our home. It's not much, but it's ours. My name is Bantu; I am the grand elder of this community," the Fire Dragon said as he led the scholars around the oasis.

"Bantu, you say? Is that not the name of the ancient fire dragon who fought along side Prince Marth in the War of Heroes?" Athos asked.

"Yes, and I am him."

"But that was nearly ten thousand years ago! I know dragons have significantly longer life spans than humans, but I didn't realize you could live _that_ long!" Nergal gaped.

"Normally, we can't. I am one of the few exceptions."

"I had also heard you cast away your Dragonstone after the war. How are you still capable of taking Dragon form?"

"I had that rumor spread to prevent people from seeking my power. It seems to have worked so far."

"Yes it has…"

After a rather uncomfortable moment of silence, Nergal decided to change the subject, "I know this is an oasis compared to the rest of the Nabata, but isn't it hard to live in such a barren land? Surely there are more habitable parts on the continent that few humans tread."

"We retreated here when there was nothing else, and we have not the energy to travel anymore. Nor do we have the magic to turn this area into anything more than it is."

"…Athos, if the two of us combine our strength, I believe we can create a true paradise here," Nergal's expression brightened.

"I know the enchantment you are thinking of, but I have never used it before. Are you certain it will work?"

"It couldn't hurt to try."

"You would be willing to do that for us?" Bantu raised his eyebrows.

"This community is one I have dreamed of for five hundred years; I would help it thrive any way I can."

"I feel the same way."

"Then I will lend you my strength as well," Bantu smiled and magically transferred some of his energy to the two scholars, who began chanting in unison. Their spell increased the amount of foliage, cleaned and fortified the homes, created a large lake and overall improved the air quality. While the changes were relatively small in scale, everyone in the village felt them and were in absolute shock.

"This place is truly paradise. I will name it Arcadia," the Fire Dragon smiled, "is there anything I can do in return for your kindness?"

"You could let us stay here for a time… and perhaps show us where the local library is?" Nergal smirked innocently.

"Of course!" Bantu chuckled and led the two to a large building on the far side of the village. The scholars entered and immersed themselves in the massive collection the Arcadians stored.

"Athos, now that we're alone, may I ask you something?" Nergal inquired after a short while.

"Yes, of course."

"What was Bantu accusing you of?"

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**Well, that's a wrap for now! Notes are on my blog, the link for which is on my profile page.**

**I promise the next update will not take nearly as long to release.**

**ULD Chapter 1 and PHK Chapter 2 are next. After that I'm going to take a break from writing new things and start revising FE:CSR.**


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